Cell Therapy

LONDON: Imagine needing an urgent liver transplant, but instead of waiting for a donor, you can just repair your own organ. Yes, scientists have discovered a new way of treating liver failure -- the technique involves inserting stem cells into the damaged organ so that it is encouraged to repair itself and create new tissue, The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday. "We have identified a non-hepatic source of cells that can easily be expanded to the scale required...

NEW DELHI: Demand for quality healthcare and easier access to capital have led to the launch of many startups working in such areas as new drug development , stem cell therapy and advanced diagnostics . This has made the sector one of the most vibrant in India's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Delhi-based Invictus Technology, which develops drugs for cancer care, is due to begin pre-clinical trials. "These platinum-based drugs...

B N Manohar The rising cost of healthcare has been a cause of concern around the globe. The global economic crisis has seen governments such as the US and Japan attempting to minimise the cost of state-funded healthcare. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular disorders, metabolic diseases, cancer, etc coupled with the emergence of more virulent forms of existing diseases poses a challenge for current medical therapies. India is already seen as the...

NEW DELHI: The drug controller general of India (DCGI) has given approval to Stempeutics Research, a Manipal Group company, for conducting clinical trials in India for its new stem cell based drug for treating cardio vascular diseases. The regulators granted the approval after examining the proposal in detail as the drug is the first of its kind in the country. The approval for conducting trials was given almost after 18 months of its filing the application, a company statement said.

Stem cell therapies have still some way to go for commercialisation, but scientists have made rapid progress in the last one year. Here's a snapshot of where we stand and the recent advances in basic and translational research.

B N Manohar The rising cost of healthcare has been a cause of concern around the globe. The global economic crisis has seen governments such as the US and Japan attempting to minimise the cost of state-funded healthcare. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular disorders, metabolic diseases, cancer, etc coupled with the emergence of more virulent forms of existing diseases poses a challenge for current medical therapies. India is already seen as the...

BANGALORE: Pharma firm Novo Nordisk, stem cell biotechnology firm Cellartis and Sweden's Lund University Stem Cell Center have announced a collaborative research agreement to develop insulin-producing cells from human stem cells. Novo Nordisk will have exclusive rights to further develop and commercialise potential products for the treatment of diabetes while Cellartis has the rights to further develop and commercialise certain other products resulting from the technologies...

CHENNAI: India has the potential to become the superstar of stem cells in five years, given its innovation capabilities. US-based McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine cardiac stem cell therapy director Dr Amit N Patel said the approach to stem cell treatment has to be systematic. "There is no quackery involved. Since there are so many small clinics, having a systematic approach is essential," he added. Instead of having little clinics built around patients, Chennai has the most advanced...

NEW DELHI: As progress in the area of stem cell research promises to dramatically change the way diseases are treated, Indians are turning up in large numbers at specialised 'banks' to store the body's master cells as a potential biological repair kit. With stem cell technology promising to provide breakthrough therapies for conditions such as Parkinson's Disease, spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, companies in the business of...

HYDERABAD: Lack of legislation and awareness coupled with quality and ethical Issues has been deterrent to the growth of stem cell therapy sector in India, where the bio-tech market is expected to achieve a market size of $ 8 billion by 2015, according to a report by the Yes bank . Special provisions such as 10-year tax benefits, duty exemptions, fast tracking the approval process by giving it a status of orphan drug (as done in...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Banking umbilical cord blood as an investment to generate stem cells in future for treatment of possible lifethreatening diseases is catching up across the country, though mostly in urban centres. Rough industry estimates say that about 55,000 have already banked cord blood and cord tissue, and that the numbers across the country are expected to jump to 1.25 lakh in a year's time. Umbilical cord and cord tissue, which are generally discarded...

HYDERABAD: Lack of legislation and awareness coupled with quality and ethical Issues has been deterrent to the growth of stem cell therapy sector in India, where the bio-tech market is expected to achieve a market size of $ 8 billion by 2015, according to a report by the Yes bank . Special provisions such as 10-year tax benefits, duty exemptions, fast tracking the approval process by giving it a status of orphan drug (as done in...

WASHINGTON: US doctors have begun the first tests of human embryonic stem cells in patients, treating a man with spinal cord injuries in a landmark trial of the controversial process, the Geron Corporation said on Monday. The patient began the pioneering treatment Friday with Geron's GRNOPC1 human embryonic stem cells at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta , Georgia, a spokeswoman for the hospital told AFP. She declined, however, to give more details, citing patient...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Banking umbilical cord blood as an investment to generate stem cells in future for treatment of possible lifethreatening diseases is catching up across the country, though mostly in urban centres. Rough industry estimates say that about 55,000 have already banked cord blood and cord tissue, and that the numbers across the country are expected to jump to 1.25 lakh in a year's time. Umbilical cord and cord tissue, which are generally discarded...

NEW DELHI: The drug controller general of India (DCGI) has given approval to Stempeutics Research, a Manipal Group company, for conducting clinical trials in India for its new stem cell based drug for treating cardio vascular diseases. The regulators granted the approval after examining the proposal in detail as the drug is the first of its kind in the country. The approval for conducting trials was given almost after 18 months of its filing the application, a...

NEW DELHI: As progress in the area of stem cell research promises to dramatically change the way diseases are treated, Indians are turning up in large numbers at specialised 'banks' to store the body's master cells as a potential biological repair kit. With stem cell technology promising to provide breakthrough therapies for conditions such as Parkinson's Disease, spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, companies in the business of...

At least over a dozen institutions are publicly undertaking some activity or the other in the field of stem cells in India while it is reasonably suspected that scores of others are doing the same secretly (if not clandestinely), but a formalised regulation of the sector with legal sanction and diligence continues to be absent. What we have today is the ICMR's (Indian Council of Medical Research) National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, 2006, and a draft stem cell...

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad-based Global Hospitals, a multi-specialty hospital focused on organ transplantation, is setting up stem cell research and tissue culture centres at an investment of Rs 10 crore. This is in line with the hospital's plan to use stem cell therapy for the transplantation of damaged and diseased body parts. The hospital has forged ties with the Indian Institute of Nutrition and the Institute of Biomedical Research, Japan, for conducting stem cell studies.

BANGALORE: Pharma firm Novo Nordisk, stem cell biotechnology firm Cellartis and Sweden's Lund University Stem Cell Center have announced a collaborative research agreement to develop insulin-producing cells from human stem cells. Novo Nordisk will have exclusive rights to further develop and commercialise potential products for the treatment of diabetes while Cellartis has the rights to further develop and commercialise certain other products resulting from the technologies...

At least over a dozen institutions are publicly undertaking some activity or the other in the field of stem cells in India while it is reasonably suspected that scores of others are doing the same secretly (if not clandestinely), but a formalised regulation of the sector with legal sanction and diligence continues to be absent. What we have today is the ICMR's (Indian Council of Medical Research) National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, 2006, and a draft stem...